Richard Gere is preparing for the part in his new movie, "The Flock". He is portraying a hyper-vigilant federal agent who, while training his young female replacement, has to track down a missing girl who he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he is investigating, according to imdb.com.

Richard Gere's research led him to visiting the homes of a couple of sex offenders, a gesture that stunned his fans. He has also interviewed Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, a former child sex crimes investigator.

"None of us knew what to expect, especially from someone as big a Hollywood star as Richard Gere", said White.

"The women commented on how good looking he was, and everyone else just thought he was a down-to-earth nice guy", the former detective added.

The shooting for "The Flock" are to start in New Mexico on Nov.21, under direction of Wai Keung Lau, following a script signed by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.

Claire Danes will also be part of the cast, along with Erik Davies, Radha Mitchell and Russel Sams.